Revision Technique

Learning Objectives You should learn that: Some ways of revising are better than other ways, For the best results, your revision needs to take place at the right intervals of time.

We will look at: Why should you revise? Where should you revise? When should you revise? How should you revise? How often should you revise?

Why should you revise? Your brain forgets details of the work you did months ago, But… You need these details to answer the questions in the exam, So… You need to ‘top-up’, by using the correct revision technique.

Where should you revise? In a quiet room, perhaps a bedroom, Warm and well-lit, With a table to work at, Ideally, with a table-lamp, to help you to focus on the page, With a clock for timing (as described later).

Where should you revise? What’s wrong with this?

Where should you revise? What is better here?

When should you revise? Start your revision early each evening, before your brain gets tired.

How should you revise? If you just sit down to revise, without a definite finishing time, then your learning efficiency falls lower and lower, like this:

How can you improve this? If you decide at the beginning how long you will work for, with a clock, then as your brain knows the end is coming, the graph rises towards the end

How can you improve this even more? If you break up a 2-hour session, into 4 shorter sessions, each of about 25-minutes, with a short planned break between them, then it is even better. Compare the next 2 graphs:

One solid session 4 shorter sessions The yellow area shows the improvement.

For example, Suppose you start work at 6 pm. You should decide, looking at your clock or watch, to stop at 6.25 pm --and no later. Then at 6.25 pm have a break for 5-10 minutes. When you start again, look at the clock and decide to work until 7 pm exactly, and then have another break. This way, you are working more efficiently, as the previous slide showed.

How often should you revise? Look at the graph below: It shows how much your brain can recall later. It rises for about 10 minutes …and then falls.

However, if you quickly re-revise after 10 minutes, then it falls more slowly! This is good. Analyse the new graph:

Even better, if you quickly re-revise again, after 1 day, then it falls even more slowly! Good ! Analyse the new graph:

And even better still, if you quickly re-revise again, after 1 week, then it falls even more slowly! Great! Analyse the new graph:

10 minutes 1 day 1 week …and then 1 month. So the best intervals for ‘topping-up’, by reviewing or briefly re-revising are: 10 minutes 1 day 1 week …and then 1 month.

For more details of Revision Technique, see: Physics for You, pages 382 - 385 The web-site at www.physics4u.co.uk

Learning Outcomes You should now know: The best conditions for revising efficiently, The advantage of deciding planned breaks, The best intervals for reviewing your work.

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